RANGERS SHOOT-OUT SHARKS 

VERSUS

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
March 12, 2011 – New York Rangers 3, San Jose Sharks 2 SO (Game No. 70, Away No. 36)

*       The Rangers defeated the San Jose Sharks, 3-2, in the shootout tonight at HP Pavilion at San Jose to improve to 36-30-4 overall, including a 21-14-1 mark on the road.  The Blueshirts are now 4-1-0 in their last five road games, as they completed their two-game west coast road trip with a 1-1-0 record.

*       New York is currently seventh in the Eastern Conference standings with 76 points, two points ahead of the Buffalo Sabres (eighth, 74 pts) and four points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes (ninth, 72 pts).

*       Henrik Lundqvist made 31 saves through regulation and overtime, and stopped five of six shootout attempts to improve to 28-24-4 overall with a 17-11-1 mark on the road.  His 17 road wins are tied for first in the NHL.  He is now 3-1-0 with a 1.96 goals against average, a .933 save percentage and one shutout in the last four games.

*       The Blueshirts are now tied for the league lead with eight shootout wins, and improved to 8-2 in the shootout this season.  Brandon Dubinsky notched the game-deciding goal in the sixth round of the shootout, and Wojtek Wolski converted his shootout attempt in the third round.  Dubinsky also registered a game-high, five shots on goal and led all team forwards with 21:53 of ice time through regulation and overtime.

*       Erik Christensen notched the Blueshirts’ first goal with an even strength tally at 16:57 of the first period, in his return to the lineup after not dressing in the previous two games.  Christensen has registered at least one point in four of his last six games (four goals, three assists over the span).  The Rangers improved to 8-1-0 when he tallies a goal and 11-4-0 when he registers a point.

*       Michael Sauer tallied one goal, was credited with four blocked shots and posted a plus-two rating in 23:26 of ice time.  He now leads the team and is tied for third among NHL rookies with a plus-15 rating.  The Rangers improved to 8-2-0 when he registers a point.

*       Vinny Prospal registered one assist to extend his scoring streak to six games (one goal, six assists over the span), and has tallied 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in the last nine contests.  He leads the team with nine assists and ranks second in scoring with 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 17 games since returning from injury on Feb. 3.

*       Ruslan Fedotenko recorded one assist and led all skaters with a season-high, seven hits in the contest.  New York improved to 14-2-2 when he registers a point.  Fedotenko has now registered two assists in the last three games.

*       Marian Gaborik tallied an assist on Christensen’s first period goal, his second point in as many games as he completed the two-game west coast road trip with one goal and one assist.

*       Brandon Prust registered an assist on Sauer’s second period goal and was assessed a fighting major at 11:07 of the first period.  Prust leads the team and ranks seventh in the NHL with 15 fighting majors on the season.

*       The Rangers were credited with 28 blocked shots in the contest, led by Dan Girardi who recorded a season-high, nine blocked shots.  New York now ranks second in the league with 1,119 blocked shots on the season, and Girardi leads all NHL skaters with 206 blocked shots.

*       Marc Staal led all skaters with 30:31 of ice time, and Dan Girardi logged 30:11 of ice time.  It is the fifth time this season Staal has logged 30+ minutes of ice time, and the second time for Girardi.

*       Please note the Blueshirts do not have practice scheduled for tomorrow, Mar. 13. The Rangers’ next practice is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Monday, Mar. 14, at the MSG Training Center.

*       The Rangers will return to action when they face-off against the New York Islanders on Tuesday, Mar. 15, at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.), to begin a two-game homestand.  The game will be televised live on MSG Plus and can be heard on 970 The Apple and www.newyorkrangers.com.

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